Meet the Team

Tendai Gwenhure

Ophthalmic Clinical Educator

Tendai Gwenhure trained as an ophthalmic nurse at Moorfields Eye Hospital in 2001. Prior to this, she worked abroad as a nurse manager at a private eye centre. In addition to managing staff and overseeing the clinical and surgical activities, she was also involved in charity work, collaborating with local and international charity organisations to run rural eye camp programmes to underserved communities. Upon completion of the ophthalmic course, Tendai worked in the Ophthalmic Accident and Emergency department, starting off as a D grade staff nurse, then progressing to become an ophthalmic emergency nurse practitioner and an A&E sister in 2005. Within this role, she was actively involved in the delivery departmental teaching sessions and staff training.

Because of her passion for staff education and training, Tendai moved into the Clinical Educator role at Moorfields Eye Hospital in 2014. With the introduction of the PGCert in Clinical Ophthalmic Practice programme at UCL Institute of Ophthalmology in 2014, Tendai has been a faculty member and she is currently the programme lead. She holds an MA in Practice Education and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She is an advocate for lifelong learning and nursing research. Her research interests are mainly around workforce development and enhancing student learning experience. She has received nominations from UCL for Student Choice Award for Excellent Personal Tutoring and Inspiring Teaching and Delivery. In 2019, she won the Student Choice Award for best lecturer for the PGCert Ophthalmic Practice programme for 2014-2018.

Tendai has been involved in Nurse Practitioner and GP training programmes for managing eye conditions. She has also been involved in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering Arts and Maths) projects and youth employment schemes with local schools to promote careers in healthcare. She has presented at several conferences both nationally and internationally and has had multiple journal publications. As part of her master’s programme, she has conducted a research project to evaluate a local induction course and she is currently undertaking her DProf.

Tendai has global networks, working with charities including Abalon Trust, Eye Health Africa and Global Health Lecturers’ Network to promote eye health and support ophthalmic education in marginalised communities. She is also a member of the World Association of Eye Hospital (WAEH) communities of practice for nurses, sharing best clinical practice and best strategies for ophthalmic nurse training and education. Locally, Tendai is involved in community engagement activities focusing on the promotion of eye health and empowering nurses through education and training.

Grace Eni

Advanced Ophthalmic Emergency Nurse Practitioner (AOENP)

Grace is a pioneer Advanced Ophthalmic Emergency Nurse Practitioner (AOENP) at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. (MEH) London.   Grace joined the Trust in2004 and has over 20 years of experience in clinical ophthalmology, specializing in Ophthalmic Accident and Emergency. She is a Non-Medical (Independent) Prescriber with a masters (MSc) degree in Ophthalmic Clinical practice, a Bachelor of Science (Hons) degree in Health Sciences, and a Professional Certificate in Medical Retina.

As an advanced nurse practitioner she works autonomously and in collaboration with ophthalmologists to examine and treat ophthalmic patients to ensure the best possible outcomes. She manages a wide range of comprehensive eye-related emergencies, including injuries, infections, and acute visual disturbances with fundoscopy.

Grace is also an Honorary Lecturer and Module Lead at University College London (UCL) and a faculty member of the Ophthalmic Practitioner Training program, Train-The-Trainer, at the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOphth) and fundoscopy trainer at MEH. She is passionate about education and processes which aid autonomous role expansion for advancing emergency nurse practitioners, promoting clinical excellence in care and positive patient experience. Awarded The Daisy Award for Extraordinary Nurses in 2021 Grace has presented her work nationally and internationally including community and professional projects like “The Eye Envoy” London 2023, and “Vision China”, Beijing, 2018.

Grace is currently a member of the Ophthalmic Nursing Forum committee at the Royal College Of Nursing.

 Email: g.eni@nhs.net

Rebecca Turner

Nurse Consultant,  Oxford Eye Hospital

Rebecca has been a Consultant Nurse at the Oxford Eye Hospital since October 2015. Prior to this she held many senior nursing and leadership roles including Matron in both Ophthalmology and beyond.

As a Consultant Nurse Rebecca had numerous opportunities for clinical and professional development, from membership on NICE guidance committees to leading an implementation of AI systems within the cataract pathway. She has been enabled to network and provide training and education events both in the NHS and private sector. Furthermore, she has been part of a small team traveling to the Falklands Islands to provide specialist clinics and cataract and oculoplastic surgery. 

Rebecca is passionate about patient care within Ophthalmology and the advancement of the clinical workforce in this field. Her interest is in the promotion and delivery of a diverse, inclusive, and flexible workforce which maximises the skills and knowledge of each team member, registered and non-registered practitioners, alike.

She is the current President of the United Kingdom Society of Ophthalmic Practitioners (UKISOP) which offers didactic, theory and skills-based training and education for all professionals allied to Ophthalmology. More recently she is delighted to have been appointed to the RCN Ophthalmic Nursing forum committee.

As a nurse consultant Rebecca's current place of practice is within the nurse-led cataract pre-operative assessment service in which she assesses, examines, and lists patients for cataract surgery. She is also a committee member of the Royal College of Nursing’s Ophthalmic Nursing Forum.

Outside work, Rebecca is studying for a part time degree in the History of Art through Oxford University Continuing Education department.

Jem Ann Bautista

Theatres Clinical Coordinator

Jem is an Internationally Educated Nurse, having completed her Bachelor’s Degree with honours in 2007 and a Master’s Degree in Nursing in 2012. Her fundamental experience in professional nursing started in a medical surgical unit, then practised as an operating theatre nurse since 2010. In her pursuit of further professional ventures, she moved to the UK in 2014 where she learned the ropes of day case surgery. She trained across a multitude of specialities, and four years into this, she was entrusted to team lead their ophthalmic theatres where her interest and appreciation for eye surgery grew.

Her vision of giving representation to ophthalmic perioperative nurses, advocating for the elevation, unification, and standardisation of training and practice, career progression options, as well as spearheading innovative perioperative patient care pathways prompted her to undertake the Clinical Ophthalmic Practice Master’s degree programme facilitated by University College London (UCL) which she has completed in 2023.

Jem is part of King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust’s Day Surgery Unit, now working as a Clinical Coordinator managing daily operations of their theatres, and still practising her core and treasured skills as a scrub practitioner.  She is also currently a committee member of the Royal College of Nursing's Ophthalmic Nursing Forum.

Regina Tavengwa

Matron- Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

Regina is employed by Moorfields as a Matron at one of the outreach sites in Bedford and has been in her current role since 2016.  She is a lead advocate for patient safety, nurse led pathways, recruitment and retention, influencing change and education in practice. She has also led on a local nursing rotational programme, where theatre staff were training in outpatients’ roles and vice versa for clinic staff.  This successfully promoted cross cover between outpatient clinics and theatres as well as widened the scope of practice for staff, acquisition of new skills, job satisfaction and enhance staff retention. Regina takes pride in supporting the team to find innovative ways of working and making changes that reflect the thoughts and views of the majority through using clinical audits to support decision making processes. 

Regina is also involved in some projects and working groups including:

• Trust’s policy review committee
• Professional nurse advocate steering committee and business case writing for the Trust PNA role
• Trust wide EPR Clinical and Operational working group.
• I am a member of the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic steering group.
• MEH trust wide Patient Experience working group
• MEH charity visually project
• Bedford new theatre development and outpatients’ services integration.
• NCL System Leadership Nurse Fellow.
• NHSE ICB ophthalmic forums meetings and local BLMK (Bedford, Luton and Milton Keynes) Eye Care collaborative working group.
• Member of the World Health Eye Hospitals.
• Health ambassador supporting young adults with NHS career choices.

She was appointed as the RCN Ophthalmic Steering committee member in March 2024.

Follow Regina on Linked in.

Catherine Garrott

Senior Nurse Specialist

Catherine has been in ophthalmology for over 20 years and has undertaken most roles. She is currently the senior nurse specialist for Medical Retina at Kings College. Catherine sees patients Face to Face and Virtually and is an injector. Besides medical Retina she also works in vitreoretinal.

Catherine is currently a committee member of the Royal College of Nursing’s Ophthalmic Nursing Forum.